When Worlds Collide: Endurocross meets Supercross

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Kornel Nemeth rules, but National Enduro Champ Bobby Prochnau made him work in moto-one.

My 800 billion-mile drive to Montreal gave me plenty of time to think about what might be in store with the addition of the Endurocross class to the Montreal Supercross program. Driving along with Shane Cuthbertson’s Husaberg in the back of the truck, I wondered if this race would put Off-Roadracing on the map, unite the motocross and off-road tribes, or confuse everyone and have the audience longing for the return of dune buggies.

I got to the Stadium and chatted with Guy Giroux while I dropped off Shane’s bike. Guy shook his head. “This is a friggen supercross track with a few rocks,” he said. “It’s too fast and not technical enough. I should have brought my supercross suspension…”

I wandered across the pits and talked to a motocross team exec who had just emerged from the bowels of the big O. “That Endurocross track looks so sick,” he said. “It would probably be fun to try and ride, but if they are too slow and it becomes a follow the leader train of riders the audience is going to get bored…”

I heard the same stuff over and over all weekend from fans, racers and industry people.

We’ll talk more about this in a bit, but right now lets look at some shots of the race.

John Dowd had every right to be tired after double-classing.

 

  

Chris VanHove showed up with a new sponsor and a new RM-Z450F

Factory enduro racers like Jason Schrage prefer to work on their own bikes, even if they don't have to.

So, I think the Endurocross class was cool. It was a wakeup call in a way, because it gave the motoheads a look at themselves. I mean, it was obvious the enduro pros were awesome riders who weren’t afraid of getting dirty, injured, or smashing their bikes and fixing them by themselves. When Bobby Prochnau put the heat on Kornel Nemeth in the first moto, the off-road crowd was jumping up and down with excitement. I mean, how cool would it be if the Canadian Enduro Champ beat the International motocross star in the main event? Unfortunately it was not to be; in the main Prochnau's clutch broke coming off the gate. But anyway, was the race fun to watch? Or at least as much fun as the dune buggies had been? For riders, the answer was yes. They understand how hard it is to ride that stuff. Or if they don’t they can at least imagine how hard it must be, even if they’ve never strayed from an over-groomed manmade motocross track. Plus the Endurocross guys were really fast on the motocross sections of the course. But even the riders said stuff like “It just looks so slow from up in the stands,” or “The bikes aren’t revved up making a ton of noise. That makes it look boring from way up there.” Other people thought the EX class stole the show, impressing the hell out of everyone, but they too would rather watch it in a smaller venue where they could get closer…like a hockey arena. So was bringing EX to Montreal a success?

I’d say yes on a couple levels and maybe on some others. It did unite the tribes to some degree. I mean, after the race at bars and parties the Motocross and Endurocross riders were hanging out together with mutual respect for each other, which is something I’ve never really seen happen before. Marketing? Man, Off-Road racing has gone from being the awkward kid at the back of the class to scoring with cheerleaders. That attention made the off-road pros visibly uncomfortable with the media and fans at the start of the CEC series this spring, but they are getting better at it with each race and by Montreal they were getting pretty savvy. They aren’t rock-stars just yet, but more like a cool underground band that is impossible to ignore. Should EX stay at the Montreal Supercross? I dunno. I mean, I’d like it to because I really dig this kind of shit. But what do you guys think?

Here’s your homework assignment boys and girls. You know that you can log onto DMX and post comments on the stories, right? Well, get on the gas here and let us know what you think of the EX class at Montreal, what you thought before and after, or what could make it better. If you dug it and want to double-class it next year, then tell us. If it was an interesting novelty, tell us that too, ok? If it threatened your moto-ego, tell us. If it bored you to tears, tell us that too. In a way, the addition of Endurocross to the program at the Montreal Supercross is like a test, possibly the turning point for Off-Road racing in one direction or another. So do your homework and send in those comments!

Thanks,

Dan

Montreal EX results:

1. Kornel Nemeth
2. John Dowd
3. Guy Giroux
4. Geoff Nelson
5. Shane Cuthbertson
6. Michel Metcalfe
7. Jason Schrage
8. Pierre-John Bedard
9. Bruno Labelle
10. Francis Ouimette

P.S In case you are wondering why Canadian E1 Enduro champ Patrick Beaule wasn't at Montreal, it's because he was busy winning the overall at the Corduroy Enduro. Hopefully next year scheduling between the various series will jive a little better.